Matrix Producer Behind Horror Network

Joel Silver, the uber producer behind the Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and Matrix franchises, has teamed with Orchid Ventures to create Scream, a new television network dedicated to horror, suspense and thriller-oriented fare.

Slated to debut in January 2005, the 24/7 Scream Channel will be distributed through digital cable and satellite providers. Silver will oversee the development of original content through his and Robert Zemeckis’ Dark Castle Ent., the horror genre production entity behind the recent remakes of William Castle’s The House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts, as well as last 2003’s Ghost Ship and last year’s Gothika.

Scream will feature a branded “Dark Castle Presents” night, which will highlight Dark Castle films and productions from other companies. Advance negotiations are underway with two studios to license their vast libraries of horror and suspense titles.

This is the third televised horror venture for Silver, who produced HBO’s award-winning late-night series Tales From the Crypt and Perversions of Science. Chances are good that we may see some anime pop up on Scream, given that Silver produced the animated, direct-to-video Matrix spin-off, The Animatrix, and has expressed an appreciation for the genre.